Using company size as a moderator, this article examines the MENA region’s gender balance on boards and how it influences capital structure. The study uses the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimate technique to analyze data from a sample of 556 non-financial organizations across 10 MENA countries from 2010 to 2023. The results show that a lower debt ratio is connected with a higher percentage of female board members. Further steps towards debt reduction include increasing the number of independent female board members and decreasing the board’s overall size. The opposite is true for larger enterprises, more profitability, more expansion opportunities, and macroeconomic variables like inflation and GDP growth, which tend to raise the debt ratio. Capital structure decisions in the MENA area are influenced by gender diversity on boards and business characteristics. Therefore, Companies in the MENA area would do well to support initiatives that increase the representation of women on corporate boards. One way to achieve this goal is to establish gender diversity targets or launch programs to increase the number of women serving on boards of directors, particularly in positions of power.

The demography of Saudi Arabia has been discussed many times but its conflict with the theories of transition and associated structural changes is unexplained. This research explains the demographic differentials stated as lag - real from theoretical – separately for the native and total population. This research developed demographic indicators revealing trends and patterns by adopting a secondary data analysis method, utilizing the General Authority for Statistics census data and other online data. The demographic transition of Saudi Arabia is in line with the theoretical contentions of pretransition and transition (early, mid, and late) stages but at definite time intervals. The absolute size, percentage change, and annual growth rate are explanatory for natives and are considered separately. Moreover, the structural population changes reveal transition stages from expansive to near expansive and constricting and stabilizing. Furthermore, broad age groups indicate rapid declines in the percentage of children, rapid increases in young adults, slow increases in older adults, and no changes in older persons. Even the sex ratio of natives is at par with other populations in transition (slightly above 100). Thus, it could be concluded that a demographic transition with structural changes as per theories: flawless growth rates with an expanding demographic dividend. At this juncture, the integration of migrants into society by endorsing family life and enabling social and demographic balance appears as imperative to improving the labor sector, productivity, and the image of the country in the international spheres for comparisons and benchmarking.

In the context of globalization and urbanization, rural development faces many challenges, such as population loss and uneven distribution of resources. This paper analyzes the similarities and differences in sustainable rural development strategies between China and Europe through a comparative perspective. China has optimized land use by relying on land policy innovations, such as the household contract responsibility system and the “separation of three rights”, as well as the construction of small towns; while Europe focuses on private ownership and market mechanisms, and supports agricultural and rural development through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Using literature review, comparative research and policy analysis, the study shows that the policy innovations in China and Europe, each with its own focus, have been effective in promoting agricultural output and rural social development. Particularly noteworthy is that the “three rights” policy has increased agricultural productivity through the liberalization of management rights, while the European CAP has contributed to the diversification of the rural economy and environmental protection through continuous reforms. This study emphasizes that through policy innovation and international cooperation, combining the strengths of China and Europe, it is possible to provide a new model of sustainable development for the global countryside. Specifically, through the establishment of Sino-European R&D centers for agricultural science and technology, exchange of talents, and cooperation in green infrastructure development, technology transfer and application can be accelerated, cultural exchange and understanding can be promoted, and the sustainable development agenda for global rural areas can be jointly advanced.

This study conducts a systematic literature review to analyze the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within business excellence frameworks. An analysis of the findings in the reviewed articles yielded five major themes: AI technologies and intelligent systems; impact of AI on business operations, strategies, and models; AI-driven decision-making in infrastructure and policy contexts; new forms of innovation and competitiveness; and the impact of AI on organizational performance and value creation in infrastructure projects. The findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how AI can be integrated into organizational excellence emerged frameworks to address challenges in infrastructure governance, and sustainable development. Key questions addressed include: how AI affects consumer behavior and marketing strategies. What AI’s capabilities for businesses, especially marketing and digital strategies? How can organizations address the drivers and barriers to help make better use of AI in these business operations? Should organizations even do anything with these insights? These questions and more will be tackled throughout this discussion. This paper attempts to derive a comprehensive conceptual framework from several fields of human resources, operational excellence, and digital transformation, that can help guide organizations and policymakers in embedding AI into infrastructure and development initiatives. This framework will help practitioners navigate the complexities of AI integration, ensuring profitability and sustainable growth in a highly competitive landscape. By bridging the gap between AI technologies and development-related policy initiatives, this research contributes to the advancement of infrastructure governance, public management, and sustainable development.

The aim was to examine the relationships between selected demographic and psychographic factors and consumers' willingness to accept content generated by advanced technological innovations (AIGC) in social infrastructure. The sample consisted of 1,308 respondents. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationships between ordinal variables. To assess the differences between groups of respondents, a one-way analysis of variance was used, during which multiple linear regression analysis was used to confirm the predictive power of awareness and experience in relation to AI-generated content in relation to the tendency to accept such content. The study confirmed a statistically significant but weak negative relationship between the age of respondents and their willingness to accept AIGC, with younger age groups showing a slightly higher rate of acceptance. Respondents' attitudes toward the use of personal data through AI and their overall awareness of technological trends had a more significant impact on acceptance. The findings show that respondents who are open to data collection through AI technologies show a significantly higher level of acceptance of automatically generated content. Similarly, respondents who positively evaluate the current quality of AIGC have higher expectations for the future transformation of marketing strategies and media practices. The decisive factors in the social infrastructure for the acceptance of AIGC are not so much the age of the respondents, but rather their awareness, technological literacy, and level of trust in the technology itself. The study therefore recommends increasing transparency and public awareness about the use of AI in marketing and media practices in order to strengthen consumer confidence in automated content.

The food supply chain in South Africa faces significant challenges related to transparency, traceability, and consumer trust. As concerns about food safety, quality, and sustainability grow, there is an increasing need for innovative solutions to address these issues. Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising tool to enhance transparency and accountability across various industries, including the food sector. This study sought to explore the potential of blockchain technology in revolutionizing through promoting transparency that enable the achievement of sustainable food supply chain infrastructure in South Africa. The study found that blockchain technology used in food supply chain creates an immutable and decentralized ledger of transactions that has the capacity to provide real-time, end-to-end visibility of food products from farm to table. This increased transparency can help mitigate risks associated with food fraud, contamination, and inefficiencies in the supply chain. The study found that blockchain technology can be leveraged to enhance supply chain efficiency and trust among stakeholders. This technology used and/or applied in South Africa can reshape the agricultural sector by improving production and distribution processes. Its integration in the food supply chain infrastructure can equally improve data management and increase transparency between farmers and food suppliers.There is need for policy-makers and scholars in the fields of service delivery and food security to conduct more research in blockchain technology and its roles in creating a more transparent, efficient, and trustworthy food supply chain infractructure that address food supply problems in South Africa. The paper adopted a qualitative methodology to collect data, and document and content analysis techniques were used to interpret collected data.